How to Build Your Personal Brand on Instagram

I remember the day when I decided to establish my brand on Instagram and take social media more seriously. It was quite overwhelming as I didn’t know where to start and how to make my feed look visually appealing. There are so many things that you need to research, automate and implement that it can be difficult to start. So I thought it would be great to put together a step by step list on how to establish your personal brand on Instagram. Also, at the end of this post you will have a chance to work with me 1 on 1 to take your brand on Instagram to the next level!

Set Your Niche

Before you create your account, think about what it is that you want to do and how you’re providing value.

Examples:

• Fashion – Helping men and/or women style themselves at a low cost price
• Beauty – Providing easy to do makeup look tutorials
• Hair – Hair care tips, best products & style tutorials
• Inspirational/Motivational – Provide daily inspirational and motivating quotes
• Foodie – Restaurant reviews & easy to make recipes
• Travel – Travel tips (how to find cheap flights), hotel reviews & how to’s (how to apply for a Visa) etc.

While you’re thinking of which niche to be in, also start thinking about why your target audience would follow you. What makes you different from other accounts, that a person would spend time on yours? What are you solving for your audience that makes them continue to follow you?

Define Your Target Audience

Who are you targeting with your Instagram account? The easiest way to establish this is by creating a personal avatar for your brand.

• What is their name?
• How old are they?
• What are their hobbies?
• Where do they work?
• How much money do they make? (If you’re selling products)
• Where do they spend most of their time online? (Instagram might not be where they are)
• What interests them?
• What is their biggest problem & how can you solve it?

Create Your Name

Now that you’ve figured out what you want to do and have your target audience, it’s time for you to create your Instagram. Before you jump into that, strategically pick out a name that you can use across ALL platforms and is easy to remember.

Please stay away from numbers at the end like this: AshleyAllison_04759372. Additionally, you should stay away from names that are too specific and limit you to change in the future. So don’t make your username TheJerseyBrunette when there’s a likely chance that you can go blonde and move to Philadelphia.

For example, if you’re a lifestyle blogger it would be OK to use your first/last name and/or first/middle name. Moreover, if your niche is targeted towards Mom’s, Millennials etc. feel free to use those keywords for your name. Another example would be if you’re a travel blogger, your name could be TheTravelingBrunette. As long as it’ll make sense now and in the future, you should be good!

Create Your Bio

Your bio is the first thing a person sees when they land on your profile page, so it needs to be appealing and state your purpose immediately!

Here’s what to include within your bio:

• Your name in the first bold line
• Your niche keywords (travel, fashion, beauty, lifestyle etc.)
• What you do/how you can help your target followers
• Current location and/or future location
• Any additional social media handles (optional)

Also, it’s good to have a consistent set of story highlight covers that look alike and relate to your brand. If you do not know how to create Instagram covers, I’ve got you covered! Click here to create Instagram highlight covers in under 10 minutes!

RELATED: WordPress.com vs WordPress.org (Which is Better for Your Blog?)

Develop Your Instagram Aesthetic

When a person lands on your profile, they’ll know within a few minutes on whether or not they want to follow you. Therefore, it’s good to have a nice overall aesthetic that’ll interest your target followers. What I recommend is to find some Instagram accounts that have your target followers and take notes on what they’re doing.

• What are they taking photos of?
• What do their captions say and is it action items?
• Is their feed consistent? If so, what makes it consistent?
• How often do they post?
• What do you like about their content?

My biggest suggestion is to mimic your favorite Instagrammer until you’re able to figure out your own style of posting. This will make it easier, diminish decision fatigue and take the guess work out of what to post each week. Now I’m not saying copy them completely, just use their posts as inspiration on what you should post and how your photos should look.

A few things to note:

• Utilize editing apps, sunlight and props
• Are their captions engaging? (Ask a question to your followers or tell them to do something)
• Plan your feed a week beforehand
• Does your fav. Instagram account post regularly to Instagram stories?
• What will your followers like about you?

I list my favorite FREE & paid social media apps (editing, scheduling, automation etc.) in my Resource Library, check it out here!

Start Being Social

Find similar accounts within your niche and reach out to them via a comment! I advise for you to at least spend an hour looking up other accounts and interacting with them. This is the easiest way for you to gain followers, build relationships and establish your brand. Additionally, don’t forget to follow the accounts that you like and keep in touch! Make sure to join Facebook groups and participate in follow threads as well as share threads where everyone supports one another. Collaborating is another big way that you can get noticed and help yourself while helping others!

Be Patient

Nothing great was built overnight so take time to stay consistent, interact and have fun with it! Don’t be afraid to try new things and switch your strategy up if you’re not seeing the results you want. Remember that all of your favorite Instagram accounts started from zero and worked their way up. So don’t get discouraged and continue to build trust with your audience over time.

BONUS: Work with me 1 on 1 to establish your personal brand on Instagram!

I’m giving 3 lucky winners the chance to work with me 1 on 1 to develop their Instagram strategy and build their brand! To enter, please send me an email at hello@missashleyallison.com with your Instagram handles and two sentences explaining why you need help. Good luck to all entrants and I look forward to working with you! 🙂

Until next time ASSASSINS. . . Stay Disciplined!

Let’s be friends!

Follow me on Instagram @MissAshleyAllison Twitter @MsAshleyAllison and Snapchat @MsAshleyAllison.